OP extends warm wishes for Enrile's 100th birthday

The Office of the President on Wednesday extended warm wishes for chief presidential legal counsel and former senator Juan Ponce Enrile, who is celebrating his 100th birthday on Wednesday, Valentine's Day.

"The Office of the President extends warm birthday wishes to our Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, Juan Ponce Enrile," the OP said.

The OP also acknowledged Enrile's service to the country as it wishes the former senator good health.

"Your tireless efforts in serving our country are a constant inspiration to us all. Wishing you a year filled with joy and good health!" the OP said.

Born on Feb. 14, 1924 in Gonzaga, Cagayan, Enrile's career in government service spans over 50 years and the administrations of the last eight presidents of the Republic.

Enrile served a total of four terms as senator from 1987 to 1992 and 1995 to 2001, and two consecutive terms from 2004 to 2016. He served as Senate President from 2008 to 2013.

As one of the most senior lawmakers in the Senate, Enrile served as senator-judge in the impeachment trials of then-President Joseph Estrada (2000-2001) and former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renator Corona (2012), wherein he was the presiding officer.

He ran as an independent candidate in the 1998 presidential elections, wherein he finished eighth out of a field of 10 candidates. He received more than 300,000 votes, while Estrada won the presidency at the time with over 10 million votes.

Under the administration of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., Enrile served in the ministries of Finance, Justice, and Defense.

An alleged ambush on Enrile as the Defense minister was among the reasons cited by Marcos Sr. in declaring martial law in 1972.

Enrile also played a key role in the first EDSA People Power revolt of 1986, after he and then-military vice chief Fidel Ramos withdrew their support from the government and ended Marcos Sr's presidency.

Marcos Sr.'s successor, the late President Corazon Aquino, retained Enrile as her Defense secretary. Enrile was later linked to several coup plots against Aquino, eventually straining their ties.

In his book, Enrile said the administration of former President Ramos brought stability to the country, and that "there was not a slightest hint of any restiveness, coup or rupture within the military."

During the Estrada administration, Enrile was among the 11 senators who voted against the opening of the "second envelope" which contained documents that would supposedly implicate Estrada to the infamous Jose Velarde dummy account.

The event triggered a second People Power revolt, this time ousting Estrada and ushering then-Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo into Malacañang.

It was during the administration of Cory's son, former President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III, that Enrile was jailed in 2014 over his alleged involvement in the multi-billion peso Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel scam.

He voluntarily surrendered in Camp Crame and spent a little over a year under hospital arrest at the Philippine National Police General Hospital. He was released on bail in 2015.

Enrile continues to face a plunder case before the Sandiganbayan over the PDAF scam, allegedly masterminded by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles.

As an ally of erstwhile President Rodrigo Duterte, Enrile had defended the former Chief Executive's bloody war on drugs.

In July 2022, Enrile took his oath as chief presidential legal counsel under the administration of Marcos Jr. — with a report from GMA News Research/ VDV, GMA Integrated News